Seeds of Hope

Frontiers February 2014 Issue

Seeds of Boeing program is helping farmers
on the island of Bali in Indonesia
By Jay Krishnan and photos by Bob Ferguson
Boeing photographer Bob Ferguson recently
accompanied Skip Boyce, president, Boeing
Southeast Asia, on a trip to Indonesia for a
firsthand look at one of the company’s many
Global Corporate Citizenship programs.
On the island of Bali, they visited with local
farmers who are learning to become more
self-sufficient and better at their trade—with
Boeing’s help.
Of the 17,000 islands that make up the
Indonesian archipelago, Bali is perhaps
the best-known, an island paradise that
conjures up images of smoldering volcanoes,
rice-terraced mountains, paddy fields and a vivid
Balinese Hindu culture.
And, of course, there are those inviting,
postcard-perfect Bali beaches where the tourists
come to soak up the sun.
But Ketut Suratna sees an entirely different
side of Bali life. He’s a farmer, a resident of Bangli,
one of Bali’s poorer districts tourists usually
don’t visit.
He became a farmer out of necessity—to feed
his family and eke out a meager living.
“Many of the villagers here depend on farming
for a living,” Suratna explained as he showed a
small group of visitors the farm plot where he toils
daily to produce crops such as eggplant and chili
under hot and humid conditions.
“Farmers like me have been struggling in
recent years because we cannot afford to buy
seeds,” Suratna said. “The use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides is also costly and poses
health risks to us.”
That’s where Boeing is helping, through its
PHOTO: Farmers in Bali collect sweet basil seeds.
34 Frontiers February 2014